My sister became a vegetarian a little over four months ago, and the entire family felt the effect. The first few weeks were somewhat chaotic, since we were used to following the routine of eating meat in just about every meal. As time passed, we started buying more fruits for snacking, looking up recipes that we could all enjoy, and hunting for some ingredients that we had actually never used before. I'm glad to report that we survived and have actually been able to embrace these changes. However, we soon found out that my sister's switch to vegetarianism was only a step toward eventually going vegan.
My parents and I had only a general idea of what veganism was.
"That's kind of like being a vegetarian, right?" or "It's just another diet people like to try."
Yes and no.
According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, a vegan is "a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products; also: one who abstains from using animal products (as leather)."
Veganism is not confined to the contents of your plate. Vegans do not eat, wear, or use any items made with animals or animal byproducts. The most common reason for going vegan, to my knowledge, is to raise awareness on animal rights. Some people find the treatment of animals being led to their deaths cruel and unnecessary. Others argue that veganism is better for the environment, stating that resources, like water and vegetation, are used less efficiently in maintaining livestock as a food source rather than when they are consumed directly. Other reasons include protesting the poor conditions in which slaughterhouse workers must work or changing up one's diet solely for personal health. Regardless of one's cause, if done correctly, going vegan can be beneficial for both your body and the world.
Now that words have been defined and reasons have been explained, onto the experience!
My sister had been invited to a vegan picnic, organized by one of her friends, at Dean Porter Park. I expressed my interest. "Cool!" I liked the thought of her spending time away from her family of raging carnivores and hanging out with like-minded people. I had never heard of anything like this happening in Brownsville before, but she showed me how events like that had been done by many others. A YouTube search for "vegan picnic" brought up a long list of videos, showing people preparing food, setting up at the location, and welcoming the arriving guests. The more my sister showed me, I started thinking that an open-invitation vegan picnic wasn't such a farfetched idea, even in a city where you can smell the carne of two or three nearby cookouts almost anywhere. Though I wasn't sure if I'd be able to go at the time, I was excited that someone was trying to make this a thing in Brownsville!
Wednesday came along, January 6th, and, despite the light afternoon drizzle, it felt like a pleasant day for a picnic. I was even more excited now, knowing that I'd be able to attend. My sisters and I arrived at the park at around 5pm, where four other people were already hanging out under the pavilion.
Over the next couple of hours, the group grew to a total of thirteen attendees, not a bad number for the first ever picnic. I had the pleasure of meeting the hostesses, Amanda Nolan and Miros Davila, and enjoyed the amazing veggie sushi, rice balls, bowtie pasta and potato salad, and a variety of fruits (shown above). The group was buzzing with conversation the entire time as we occasionally reached across one another for seconds or thirds. By 7:30pm, we were headed home, as the sun had set a while back, having enjoyed the food and the company.
I certainly hope to attend another vegan picnic. Fortunately, Amanda has said she'd like to plan another one! She notes that mentioning you're a vegan "is difficult when you don't have support or anyone to share your experiences with them," so she hopes to find more locals who can contribute to future events.
"...I also just want to raise awareness in general. I want non vegans to feel welcome as well and encourage them to become more aware of what they're putting into their bodies and how that affects them and the world around them. I mostly just want to create a positive environment where people are free to discuss the issue and also see that vegans don't just eat lettuce."
This is, indeed, a noble cause.
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